Hotel Front Office Management, 3rd Edition

344 CHAPTER 12: TRAINING FOR HOSPITALITYManagement ConceptsIn addition to task performance, other, less tangible skills need to be included in atraining program for front office employees. Stress management, time management, andorganizational skills are some of the areas that need to be discussed. Although these skillsare often covered in seminar formats, they cannot be considered in isolation. These skillsare better understood when integrated into the training program as a whole, so they canbe applied to task performance. For example, the employee being trained to check out aguest should be made aware that this process may occur under stressful conditions: he orshe could be in a situation in which there are long lines, many guests questioning charges,and pressure from other guests to keep the line moving. Remaining calm under thesecircumstances does come with experience, but the tenets of stress management will helpeven the new employee handle difficult situations. Self-control and concern for the guest’swelfare are paramount.Mastering time management is another important skill that enables employees to performparticular tasks at required times. For example, various departments depend onfront office employees to relay messages to guests and other departments on a regularbasis; otherwise, a great deal of confusion results for all concerned. Organizational skillshelp employees deal with their workloads systematically rather than jumping from onetask to another without completing any of them. Completing paperwork on a regularbasis, rather than allowing it to mount into an intimidating pile, is one example of howtime management and organizational skills can improve performance.Steps in the Training ProcessThe recommended steps in the training process include preparation, delivery, trial anderror, and follow-up.Preparation: “Get Ready”The trainer must plan the details of the training session. The first step is to preparebehavioral objectives for trainees. These objectives will identify what trainees shouldknow when the session is over and will allow the trainees to achieve expected changes inbehavior. They will assist trainees in building their knowledge base as they develop skills.Behavioral objectives should define what the trainee should be able to do, how effectivelyhe or she should do it, and when the task should be complete. For example, a behavioralobjective for a training session on guest check-in might be: “The trainee will be able toperform the guest check-in procedure for a guest with a prior reservation on the PMSwith 100 percent accuracy in five minutes.” This focuses the trainer on the task of traininga desk clerk in completing a check-in for a guest with a reservation, not a check-in for aguest without a reservation. The trainee must also have already mastered the step-by-stepprocedure for operating the registration module on the PMS. The goal of 100 percentTLFeBOOK